Caribou Ranch to Auction Off Colorado Music Memorabilia

Nederland’s Caribou Ranch has written some of the richest chapters in Colorado and pop music history, and now you can own a piece of it.

On Saturday, January 24, Leslie Hindman Auctioneers will sell artifacts from the legendary recording studio, which was purchased last year by a company owned by members of the Walton family, the clan behind the Walmart fortune.

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Caribou thrived in the 70s and 80s as a retreat for musicians and artists. It was also where global pop acts such as Michael Jackson, Elton John, The Beach Boys, Rod Stewart, U2, Chicago, Earth, Wind & Fire, Dan Fogelberg, and many others recorded some of their most popular albums.

On the 24th, Hindman will auction photos, furniture, gold records, musical instruments and equipment, and other memorabilia from the Ranch’s heyday. (Some items from the studio have already been donated to the Colorado Music Hall of Fame and are on display at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.) Among the highlights on the auction block are the grand piano (one of many, pictured above) that was used by Elton John while he recorded three albums—including “Caribou” which is one of the items in our Colorado Syllabus—a brass bed frame that John Lennon slept on during a 1974 visit, another bed that was originally built for President Grover Cleveland, and a parka worn by Michael Jackson (and an ATV he drove, too). The vast and quirky collection also features scads of Western and antique furniture, as well as speakers and amplifiers, a pinball machine, and original Caribou owner Jim Guercio’s 1985 Camaro.

The auction kicks off at 3 p.m. on the 24th at the Hindman gallery on South Broadway, and online bids can be submitted here. For more information, visit the auction’s website.